DOVER – DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police today announced their active participation in Operation Dry Water, an annual nationwide enforcement and education campaign aimed at preventing alcohol and drug-related boating accidents and fatalities.

Over the June 29-July 1 weekend, Fish & Wildlife officers will increase their presence on Delaware’s waterways to educate boaters on the danger and risk of operating a vessel while their blood alcohol level exceeds the state and federal limit of 0.08 percent. Boat operators found to be at or above the limit will be arrested and may have their vessel impounded, as well as face fines and potential jail time for operating under the influence (OUI). Enforcement efforts against OUI also will be intensified during the Operation Dry Water campaign.

According to national statistics released by the U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol use is a leading contributing factor to fatal boating accidents. To avoid putting themselves, their passengers and other boaters at risk, boat operators are urged to stay sober and follow safe boating practices, or to plan ahead by having a non-drinking, qualified designated boat operator on board if alcohol is consumed.

“We are dedicated to ensuring the safety of all who enjoy our waters. Not only during this campaign but throughout the year, our officers check for those who may be operating their boats under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Have a responsible and qualified operator at the helm, and don’t drink and boat,” said Chief Drew Aydelotte, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police.

During Operation Dry Water in 2017, Delaware officers made 3,095 contacts with boat operators and passengers and conducted 587 boardings while performing standard vessel safety checks and encouraging safe boating practices for boat operations and carrying required safety equipment. Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police spent a total of 211.5 hours on the water during this timeframe. Sixteen citations were issued, helping to raise awareness of and reduce unsafe boating practices, with two of the citations issued for OUI.

For more information, visit Delaware Boating Safety or contact Delaware Boating Safety & Education Coordinator Sgt. Brooke Africa at 302-739-9915 or email brooke.africa@delaware.gov.

Operation Dry Water is coordinated nationwide by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), in partnership with state marine enforcement agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard. For more information on Operation Dry Water visit: http://www.operationdrywater.org/

Like Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pages/Delaware-Fish-Wildlife-Natural-Resources-Police.

Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Twitter, https://twitter.com/DE_FW_NRPolice.

Contact: Lt. John McDerby, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386, or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 172

DOVER – For the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend, DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police remind boaters that drinking and boating don’t mix – and that boat operators with blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher risk facing charges for operating under the influence (OUI), as well as putting themselves, their passengers and other boaters in Delaware waters at risk.

“Just like driving an automobile, operating a boat with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher is in violation of Delaware and federal laws,” said Sgt. Brooke Africa of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, noting that marine patrols are increased over the holiday weekend to ensure safe boating and public safety. “Boat operators found at or above the legal limit will find their voyage terminated, will be arrested, and may have their vessel impounded. Anyone charged with boating under the influence also can face fines and potential jail time.”

According to national statistics from the U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol use is a leading known contributing factor to fatal boating accidents. Nationally in 2016, 282 accidents involved alcohol use, resulting in 87 deaths and 264 injuries.

The best way to minimize the risk of an accident is to make the wiser choice – don’t drink and boat, Sgt. Africa said. Environmental stressors aboard a boat – such as constant motion, heat, sun glare, and dehydration – all contribute to the negative effects of any amount of alcohol. Because of this, having a non-drinking, designated boat operator is strongly recommended.

Other tips for recreational boaters to ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend include:

• Exercise patience and courtesy at crowded boat ramps and docks.
• Observe all “Slow No Wake” areas.
• Maintain a lookout and keep a safe distance from other vessels.
• Avoid traveling at unsafe speeds and use extra caution in congested areas.
• Make sure children 12 and younger are wearing life jackets while underway as required by law.
• Wear your life jacket and encourage all your passengers 13 and older to wear them also.
• Check navigation lights and make sure to turn them on when operating at night.
• Carry your Boating Education Card and all required safety equipment appropriate for your size vessel.
• Canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards are considered vessels, and passengers are required to have a life jacket on board and carry a whistle or other sound-producing device. If you are out after sunset, a flashlight is also required.

For access to the online Delaware Boating Handbook and other safe boating information, click Delaware Boating Safety, or contact Delaware Boating Safety & Education Coordinator Sgt. Brooke Africa at 302-739-9913 or email brooke.africa@delaware.gov.

Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pages/Delaware-Fish-Wildlife-Natural-Resources-Police.

Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Twitter, https://twitter.com/DE_FW_NRPolice.

Contact: Sgt. Brooke Africa, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-382-7167, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 48, No. 130

NEW CASTLE – The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today launched an updated and significantly improved version of Delaware’s centralized online resource for addiction prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery information, HelpIsHereDE.com. The website is designed to assist people struggling with addiction, their families, the community, and medical providers.

The new version of “Help is Here” is easier to navigate, can be translated into four languages (Spanish, Haitian Creole, French, and Chinese), is more mobile-device friendly, and offers updated information for the community and medical providers. Its expanded video section features new and highly personal testimonials from individuals in long-term recovery, parents who have lost adult children to overdoses, a treatment provider, and a police officer.

Governor John Carney expressed his support for the website and for the role it can play in reducing the toll of addiction.

“Combating the addiction epidemic is a priority of my administration,” Governor Carney said. “Too many people are dying from this disease and too many families are suffering. As we work together to continue to build a system that better recognizes, prevents and treats addiction, Help is Here is a key tool.”

Delaware Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long, Division of Public Health (DPH) Director Dr. Karyl Rattay, and Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) Director Michael Barbieri made the announcement, which included a reveal and demonstration of the updated site.

“Prevention and intervention are key to battling addiction in our state,” said Lt. Gov. Hall-Long. “This is particularly true when it comes to our children. Stress, trauma, early exposure to drugs in the teen years, and early symptoms of a mental disorder can lead to addiction and mental illness. Making parents aware of and connecting them to supportive information through the ‘Help Is Here’ website is vital to preventing years of struggle with substance use.”

Children who learn about the risks of drugs and alcohol from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to use drugs than those who don’t get the information at home.

Delaware, like much of the country, is experiencing an addiction epidemic. In 2016, 308 people died from overdoses in Delaware, compared to 228 overdose deaths reported in 2015. Up to 80 percent of Delaware’s drug overdoses may involve one or more prescription drugs. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), eight out of 10 new heroin users first abused prescription painkillers.

A key focus of the updated site is providing additional resources for physicians and other medical providers, such as information on the new regulations for the safe prescribing of opiates released this April by the Delaware Department of State’s Division of Professional Regulation (DPR). The regulations establish standards for prescribing opioids safely for pain management. Opioids can be a powerful tool if prescribed and used carefully, but should never be the first line of defense to treat chronic pain.

“Addiction is a chronic disease with a complicated set of causes. Our goal with the revised website is to increase awareness and supportive information across the community,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “The website is the only one of its kind in the nation, one that seeks to address community needs and also provide guidance and information to medical providers. The refreshed site includes resources for DPR’s new regulations, and a helpful screening tool to aid providers in easily screening patients for substance use disorders as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

In addition to sharing information about where to receive treatment, the state is also focused on building additional public treatment services. In February 2016, DSAMH opened new residential treatment beds at four locations in Smyrna, Dover and Delaware City, increasing capacity by 22 percent. These beds are available for both men and women who have received withdrawal management services and are in need of residential treatment to further their recoveries. These changes increased DSAMH’s total number of residential treatment beds from 78 to 95, with all beds having a variable length of stay.

A statewide expansion of residential treatment beds for youth age 18-25 is expected to be online in late summer. This expansion will increase beds from 16 to 32.

DSAMH has 16 beds for individuals suffering from significant co-occurring disorders (mental illness and addiction). And, to support residential recovery services, the state has 120 recovery house beds statewide to aid individuals in their local communities.

“Being in treatment for an addiction can be hard, but recovery is achievable,” said Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Director Michael Barbieri. “Recovery is a journey with ups and downs. We want to provide a variety of treatment options to meet a person where they are and provide them with the level of care they need. There is no wrong door to enter to begin the recovery process.”

DHSS Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker also expressed her support for the greater outreach to the community through the website and accompanying media campaign.

“Addiction is a brain disease, not a character flaw,” said Secretary Walker, a family physician. “The first step toward recovery is seeking a treatment path that is right for the person in need. This website can help parents understand if a teen-age son or daughter is exhibiting signs of addiction and where to seek help if they are. And for those already in the throes of the disease, Help Is Here offers easy access to information about treatment and recovery services in Delaware and nearby states. The testimonial videos will help those impacted by this disease to understand they are not alone.”

HelpIsHereDE.com was first launched in October 2014.

To be connected to resources immediately, call the DHSS 24/7 Crisis Helpline at:

• New Castle County: 800-652-2929
• Kent and Sussex counties: 800-345-6785.

Help is Here will be updated throughout 2017, including information coming soon on how to prevent, recognize and treat substance exposure in infants, screen pregnant women for addiction and connect them to treatment sources, and significantly expand information for medical providers.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

The 2016 National Liquor Law Enforcement Association (NLLEA) Training Symposium, co-hosted by the Delaware Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement (DATE), will be held from April 18 – 22 in Dover, Delaware. Registration is open to all Delaware and out of state law enforcement agencies.

This annual, week-long symposium provides core courses focused on the fundamental foundation areas of alcohol law enforcement and sessions that explore the changing challenges and demands faced by law enforcement agencies. The symposium courses improve the specialized knowledge and professional skills of law enforcement officers, whether new to the field or seasoned professionals. Some of the topic highlights include: Warrantless Administrative Search Authority, The 3-Tier System and Illegal Trade Practices, Underage Drinking Enforcement, Illegal Gambling, Special Events Enforcement, Fraudulent Documents, Social Networking/Cyber-Space Investigations, Undercover Operations & Techniques and more.

The symposium will be held at the Dover Downs Hotel. The hotel is centrally-located in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic region, with a variety of restaurants and activities on site. The symposium fee is $400 per member and $500 per non-member attendee, which includes all training materials and lunch.

For more information about the upcoming 2016 NLLEA Training Symposium and to complete your registration, please visit http://www.nllea.org/trainingsymposium.html. To make room reservations or for any questions about the NLLEA Symposium please contact NLLEA Training Coordinator, Lara Morford, by email at lara.morford@nllea.org or by calling 301-755-2795.

The National Liquor Law Enforcement Association is a non-profit association of law enforcement personnel dedicated to the enforcement of liquor laws and regulations. The NLLEA has a membership structure that is open to all levels of persons involved in enforcing liquor laws in the United States and Canada.

The Delaware Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement is tasked with protecting the health, safety and welfare of people in Delaware through the enforcement of state liquor and youth access to tobacco laws, while maintaining the highest state of preparedness for responding to threats against homeland security. ATE Agents are certified police officers in the State of Delaware with statewide jurisdiction and arrest powers. ATE Agents have full authority to enforce all of the laws of the state, including liquor, drug, criminal, and traffic statutes.

###

Media Contact:
John Yeomans, Director
(302) 741-2719
john.yeomans@delaware.gov

DOVER – How much alcohol is safe to drink when you’re expecting? None. Zero. Not a drop. That’s according to a report just published in the November issue of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Pediatrics magazine. The report identifies prenatal alcohol exposure as the leading cause of preventable birth defects and neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Drinking during pregnancy greatly increases the chances that the baby will develop a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Signs and symptoms of the various FASDs range from mild to severe and include a combination of physical, emotional, behavioral, and learning problems. Prenatal alcohol exposure is a frequent cause of structural or functional effects on the brain, heart, bones and spine, kidneys, vision and hearing. It’s also associated with a higher incidence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and specific learning disabilities such as difficulties with mathematics and language, information processing, memory, and problem solving.

“We wholeheartedly support the AAP’s announcement regarding no alcohol use during pregnancy,” said Dr. Karyl Rattay, Director of the Division of Public Health (DPH). “The only sure way to prevent FASDs is to completely avoid alcohol use while pregnant. This also applies to women who are trying to get conceive. Damage from prenatal alcohol exposure can occur even during the earliest weeks of pregnancy, even before a woman realizes she’s pregnant.”

“It is vital for those of us in the pediatric community to deliver this very important message,” said Dr. Catherine Zorc, President of the Delaware Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “We appreciate this clear guidance to help us correct misunderstandings about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy and to educate on the importance of abstaining from alcohol use during this critical time in their child’s development.”

Some physicians have advised pregnant women that it may be acceptable to consume limited quantities of alcohol during their third trimester. However the AAP report disputes that logic. First-trimester drinking, compared to no drinking, results in 12 times the odds of giving birth to a child with FASDs. First- and second-trimester drinking increased FASDs odds 61 times, and women who drink during all trimesters were 65 more likely to have children who would develop an FASD.

“Alcoholism can make it much more difficult for a pregnant woman to quit drinking altogether,” said Michael Barbieri, Director of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH). “Many women may be able to cease casual drinking easily but we must remember that alcohol addiction is still very real and very difficult to overcome. DSAMH is working closely with providers to increase the amount of addiction treatment services, including to pregnant women.”

The Department of Health and Social Services has begun a pregnancy and addiction project led by the Secretary’s office, DPH, DSAMH and the newly re-formed FASD Task Force. DHSS and the Task Force are currently reviewing available education, diagnosis, and treatment services for reproductive age women with the goal of increasing women and medical provider awareness of the dangers of alcohol and drugs during a pregnancy, and developing additional information on identifying FASD symptoms early in infants and young children. Neurocognitive and behavioral problems from prenatal alcohol exposure are lifelong, but early recognition, diagnosis and therapy for any FASD condition can improve a child’s long term prospects and overall health.

For further information about the project or the FASD Task Force, call 302-744-4704. And for tips for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby, visit http://dethrives.com/healthy-mothers. If you’re a mother struggling with addiction, visit http://www.helpisherede.com/ for local resources.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com. Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

About the American Academy of Pediatrics
The AAP is a professional membership organization of 64,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical sub-specialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. Its mission is to attain optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults.